Dallas Stars: Desperation Leads To Complete Performance Against Blues

It was exactly the kind of performance that the Dallas Stars wanted and needed. And in Game 4, they got desperate and turned in one of their most impressive performances of the postseason against the St. Louis Blues. Now, it is once again anyone’s series.

Can there be a difference between desperation and panic? While some people may say no, the Dallas Stars proved that there can be on Wednesday night.

In the biggest game of their 2018-19 campaign, the Stars needed desperation. But, on the flip side, they didn’t need to panic. They were down 2-1 in their second-round series against the St. Louis Blues after dropping a frustrating Game 3 on home ice on Monday night. There was a need for a win in Game 4 both to avoid being swept at the American Airlines Center as well as to even the series back up.

So, the pressure was on. The Blues had been the more desperate team in Game 3 after surrendering their own home ice advantage when the Stars claimed a win in Game 2. They were quicker, more efficient, and executed their game plan on a nearly perfect note. Meanwhile, Dallas was forced to play catchup through most of the game and ended up falling 4-3 on a late goal by Pat Maroon. As a result, the Stars needed to regain control and be more desperate in Game 4.

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But there wasn’t a need to panic. Dallas had been in the position just two weeks prior when they entered Game 4 against the Nashville Predators in a 2-1 series hole, still in search of a win on home ice. The Stars used desperation in that game and produced a 5-1 blowout win to even the series. The momentum created from that win eventually helped Dallas to two more victories that helped them close out the series in six games.

The thing about panic is that it usually leads to a team’s demise. Whether that comes from crumbling internally or playing so risky that the opposition takes advantage of the risks, it’s never a good strategy to use, especially during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

On Wednesday night, the Dallas Stars didn’t panic and avoided the pitfalls that come with panicking. Instead, they played with desperation, momentum, and force. That style ended up paying off in a big way as the Stars earned a 4-2 win to even the series, much to the evident and mounting frustration of the Blues.

It was a picture-perfect game for the Stars. From the opening puck drop, it was clear that they were the hungrier team. They took the first five shots of the game, generated a number of offensive rushes and chances, and looked prepared to shift the momentum back in their favor.

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Then came a high-sticking penalty on Jason Dickinson that turned into a Vladimir Tarasenko power play goal. The shot was a clean one with no traffic and is one that Ben Bishop should have stopped, but simply whiffed on.

And with that early goal against negating their strong start, the Stars easily could have buckled. In every meeting between Dallas and St. Louis this year, the team that scored the first goal ended up winning the game. So, the series trend wasn’t on their side by any means.

But they didn’t let it phase them. They kept pushing and kept their resilience high, and it paid off in a big way. A few minutes after the opening goal, Jason Dickinson scored with a gritty effort on the doorstep to tie things up.

And while they were back to level ground, more was still needed. After all, Dallas had tied the score up on three different occasions in Game 3, but still ended up losing.

So Dallas kept pushing. With 52 seconds left, Jason Spezza scored a goal on the power play via a booming slap shot to gain the lead for the Stars. They entered first intermission with a lead and momentum.

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The second period was all Dallas Stars. John Klingberg scored midway through the period using a daunting wrist shot that sailed over Jordan Binnington‘s shoulder. Eight minutes later, Jamie Benn dished a perfect pass through the slot to Roope Hintz on an offensive rush, and Hintz cashed in. It was the rookie’s fifth goal of the playoffs, setting a new franchise record for most postseason goals by a rookie.

And that’s when things started to get chippy. While playing a puck behind the net, Ben Bishop took a hard slash on the back from David Perron. The play went uncalled and sent the AAC into an uproar. As the second period ended, Benn barreled into the offensive zone towards Binnington and gave him a tap with his stick. Binnington proceeded to take a few jabs at Benn before heading to the benches, where he raised his stick and slashed Bishop’s stick before exiting the ice for the locker room.

And while the third period didn’t bring as much emotion or intensity as the final few minutes of the second, the Dallas Stars held their ground besides a goal from Robert Thomas. The game ended with a 4-2 Dallas victory and an even series.

“I just thought we skated and competed a lot better,” said Stars coach Jim Montgomery. “I think that was first and foremost and I think we put them on their heels because of it.”

But it was more than that. The Stars earned that win. They were faster than the Blues, generated a multitude of chances, and continued bearing down on a St. Louis team that looked entirely unprepared. They picked the corners of the net perfectly (just watch the goals from Klingberg and Spezza), broke Binnington down piece-by-piece, and never let off of the gas.

Bishop had a strong bounce back game after struggling in Game 3. The Dallas power play went 1/2. Their defense was good when it needed to be. The offense was on constant attack mode, making push after push and keeping the Blues on their heels for the majority of the game. Simply put: they were the more desperate team and it paid off.

"“It’s easier to have desperation or more desire and passion when you’re behind. I thought in the first game of the series that we out-executed them but they had more effort, then it switched and they out executed but we had more effort. Then they were the better five-on-five team and tonight we switched it.” – Jim Montgomery after Game 4 via NHL.com"

And that’s where they can learn as the series shifts to a best-of-three. Desperation can be a key theme in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but it seems all the more critical in this second-round series. The Blues were the more desperate team in Games 1 and 3, while the Stars set the tempo and pace in Games 2 and 4. Both teams won the games that they were more desperate in.

So, the desperation helped. The Dallas Stars turned in arguably their most complete and dominant performance of the postseason on Wednesday night. The 5-1 win over Nashville in Game 4 was dominance, but it came with a lot of help from the Predators playing sloppy and offering Dallas six power play opportunities. On Wednesday night, Dallas won the battle at even strength. They took advantage of the changes to the lineup and turned in a big performance that now has them even.

Desperation and panic can be different. And when a team can find that difference, they can be dangerous. The Dallas Stars proved that on Wednesday night.

It’s now anyone’s series in a best-of-three.